Identical twins Iris and Lark are shocked to discover they won’t be in the same fifth grade classroom. It feels like betrayal when they learn their parents support the split and insist they choose separate after-school activities, too, despite the girls’ protests. As time goes by, Iris grows worried about her sister, who seems to be withdrawing more and more into her mind. She finds unexpected solace at “Treasure Hunters.” Despite the store’s curious, somewhat menacing feel, the owner, Mr. Green, lends Iris a sympathetic ear. Lark, he says, sounds like his sister, Alice, who disappeared years before, although he’s never given up hope of finding her. There is already a hint of magic in this book before the appearance of Mr. Green, from an abundance of crows to things that go missing. Even as that sense of magic—and foreboding—builds, the heart of the story is grounded in the struggles and relationship of the sisters, who are white, and the way girls in general are so often discounted, invisible, used, or ignored. And during a heart-stopping climax, it is many girls working together, refusing to be victimized or discounted, asserting their agency and power, that defeats the danger Mr. Green represents in this memorable, multi-layered tale. (Ages 9–12)

Three starred reviews

A Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2019

Anne Ursu, author of the National Book Award nominee The Real Boy, returns with a story of the power of fantasy, the limits of love, and the struggles inherent in growing up.

When you’re an identical twin, your story always starts with someone else. For Iris, that means her story starts with Lark.

Iris has always been the grounded, capable, and rational one; Lark has been inventive, dreamy, and brilliant—and from their first moments in the world together, they’ve never left each other’s side. Everyone around them realized early on what the two sisters already knew: they had better outcomes when they were together.

When fifth grade arrives, however, it's decided that Iris and Lark should be split into different classrooms, and something breaks in them both.

Iris is no longer so confident; Lark retreats into herself as she deals with challenges at school. And at the same time, something strange is happening in the city around them, things both great and small going missing without a trace.

As Iris begins to understand that anything can be lost in the blink of an eye, she decides it’s up to her to find a way to keep her sister safe.